Friday, December 14, 2007
Office of Energy Independence Releases Iowa's "Plan For Energy Independence"
Plan Details Goal for Energy Independence by 2025
DES MOINES – Today, the Office of Energy Independence released Iowa’s first-ever “Plan for Energy Independence.” The plan, which was required in legislation signed by Governor Chet Culver creating the Power Fund and Iowa Office of Energy Independence, provides a path for achieving energy independence for the state of Iowa by 2025.
“It is our goal to make Iowa the national leader in energy efficiency, and sustainable energy,” said Governor Culver. “Since taking office in January 2007, we have made great strides toward this goal. We have announced plans for the nation’s first cellulosic bio-refinery, we have made renewable fuels more accessible to Iowans by opening more E85 pumps across the state, and we have dramatically grown the wind energy industry throughout the state, by recruiting and attracting new turbine manufacturers, and wind energy producers to Iowa. Now, we are undertaking another ambitious, yet attainable goal – one of energy independence by the year 2025.
“I want to thank Roya Stanley and her team at the Office of Energy Independence for the long hours and thoughtful work put into Iowa’s first-ever ‘Plan for Energy Independence.’”
In accordance with House File 918, signed into law by Governor Culver in May 2007, “the plan shall provide cost effective options and strategies for reducing the state’s consumption of energy, dependence on foreign sources of energy, use of fossil fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions. The options and strategies developed in the plan shall provide for achieving energy independence from foreign sources of energy by the year 2025.”
“The Office of Energy Independence is tasked with marking the path to lead Iowa into a new era of energy independence by 2025,” said Office of Energy Independence Director Roya Stanley. “The goal is bold, and it is achievable. In Iowa, where the state’s natural resources and its industrious people have always been essential to our successes, we once again call upon these core elements to develop new energy supplies while conserving energy.”
Iowa’s first annual Energy Independence Plan kicks off a new era of state leadership in energy transformation. The Office of Energy Independence was established in 2007 to coordinate state activities for energy independence. The commitment of the state to lead by example creates opportunities for state government to move boldly to achieve its goals, track its progress, measure the results, and report the findings.
According to Chairman of the Iowa Power Fund Fred Hubble, “Since our first meeting on September 26, 2007 the Board has met six times. In those meetings members established committees, developed rules and applications, as well as approved this plan. This plan is a culmination of efforts from the Iowa Office of Energy Independence, various State Agencies, the Power Fund Board, and, most importantly, from Iowans across the state.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE “IOWA PLAN FOR ENERGY INDEPENDENCE” INCLUDE:
- Strengthen the economy, improve the environment and ensure our energy security.
- Seek to engage all Iowans in achieving our energy goals.
- Require all existing state-owned buildings to have energy audits and implement energy efficiency retrofits to serve as effective energy management models for the private sector. All new state buildings will meet or exceed high energy efficiency performance standards.
- Create opportunities for state employees to reduce overall miles commuted through telecommuting, ride share, and public transit.
- Improve energy efficiency of existing buildings and new construction through implementation and enforcement of energy codes, and provide incentives for energy efficient construction that exceeds the required efficiencies.
- Encourage Iowa’s production of cost-effective, renewably-generated electricity.
- Accelerate the infrastructure development and use of renewable fuels for all transportation in Iowa.
The complete “Iowa Plan for Energy Independence” can be found at:
http://www.energy.iowa.gov/OEI/docs/Final_Plan.pdf